Mary Kathay (Gillispie) Yergin (1871 - 1958)

Born 25 Jan 1871 in Chillicothe, Livingston, Missouri, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Arnold Phister — married 26 Aug 1897 (to 15 Mar 1911) in McFall, Gentry, Missouri, United States

Wife of Milo Erskine (Yergen) Yergin — married 19 Nov 1912 (to 4 Jun 1933) in Hamilton, Caldwell, Missouri, United States

Died 26 Nov 1958 at age 87 in Chillicothe, Livingston, Missouri, United States

Biography

Mary was born in 1871. She died in 1958 at the age of 87.

Parents: Rev. William Whitcomb Gillispie 1849 - 1901 and Elizabeth Jane (Seidle) Gillispie 1848 - 1905.

Mary (26) married Arnold Pfister (~58) (born in Switzerland in Mar 1839) on 26 Aug 1897 in McFall, Gentry, Missouri^[1].

In the 1900 census Mary (age 29) was the wife of Arnold Pfister in Monroe Township, Daviess, Missouri, United States.^[2] Arnold died in 1911,^[3] and she married Milo E Yergin (1868 - 1933) in 1912.

Marie was a Connecticut Medical College graduate, and a noted lecturer and author. She operated the Ozark Harmony Health Home and School.^[4] She was invited to Washington D.C. in 1939 to preside as chairman at the Health Food and Appliance Exposition there.^[5]

In 1949, she moved to Kidder, Caldwell, Missouri from Dinubia, Colorado.^[6]

Mary died in 1958, at a Chillicothe rest home. She was interred with her first husband at the Kidder Cemetery in Caldwell County, Missouri.

Summary of letter from Mary to Vivian, the daughter of Eola:

"I am the oldest of our family and your mother was the youngest. Grandfather, John F. Gillespie married Mary Owens of Owensboro, Kentucky. Grandfather's Grandfather, came from the Grampian Hills of Northern Scotland. He immigrated to the United States and settled in Tazewell County, Virginia. There was a big family of boys and they went southwest and west and north.

Grandfather's Grandfather lived to be over 100 years, and he killed a bear and a panther in the mountains of VA after he was 103 years old.

Grandfather was the oldest of that branch of the family that moved to north central Indiana. They had a big tract of land there, and had a Mill on their place, which was run by water power. There were nine of that family.

John F Gillespie was my grandfather and grandmother was named Mary. They bought a farm eight miles north of Chillicothe, on Grand River. Grandpa got the Mill there and acres of land and the home.

All their children died young excepting our father, who was about 5 years old when they moved there from Indiana. Thomas was 4 years older than my father. He was in the Civil War. He married my mother's sister, Katherine. Daddy was named William Whitcomb. My mother was Elizabeth Jane Seidle, and was born near Zanesville, Ohio in 1848. Daddy was born in Indiana in 1849. My father, Uncle Thomas Aunt Hulda, and Uncle John were all that lived to maturity.

There were 9 of us, and 2 died as young babies. I am the oldest and was named for grandmother and Aunt Katherine. Eva Ellen is next, she married George Wickizer when he was 15 and had 9 children and lives in Chillicothe, MO. Edith Lillian married Charley Dickerson in early 1900. She died in Colorado after her husband had died. She raised 5 children. Hassie was 23 when she married Raymond Yost, and had 2 daughters. Lizzie married Walter Dickerson and had 4 children. Arthur, the only boy of our family, married Elizabeth Hobbs and has 2 living children. Eola was born in Edinburg, MO in 1889, she was 5 years younger that Arthur.

Elizabeth Jane was born in Ohio, and her parents were from Germany, and died when she was 12 years old. She was raised by an old German woman. Older sister Katherine was taken by our Great Grandmother in IN. When Uncle Thomas was mustered out of the army he visited his grandmother in Indiana. That is where he met Aunt Katherine. They married and he took her to the home place north of Chillicothe. Three years later her sister Jane came there also. That is how she met our father.

I was 10 yrs years old when grandmother died and Grandpa went to live with his daughter, Aunt Hulda."

Sources

1. ↑ Marriage: "Missouri, County Marriage, Naturalization, and Court Records, 1800-1991," database with images, citing Marriage, Gentry, Missouri, United States, Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City; FHL microfilm 007211709, FamilySearch Record: 2CCH-S8Y (accessed 28 January 2023) FamilySearch Image: 3QSQ-G94W-JCPL Image number 00184, Marie Katherine Gillespie marriage to Arnold Pfister on 26 Aug 1897 in Gentry, Missouri, United States.
2. ↑ 1900 Census: "United States Census, 1900," database with images, citing Affiliate Publication Number: T623; Line: 93; FHL microfilm: 1240852; Record number: 31482, FamilySearch Record: 66J2-M1GF (accessed 28 January 2023) FamilySearch Image: S3HT-67XS-LH2 Image number 00659, Mary C Pfister (29), wife, in household of Arnold Pfister (61) in Monroe Township, Daviess, Missouri, United States. Born in Missouri.
3. ↑ Memorial of Husband Arnold: "Find a Grave," database with images, Find A Grave: Memorial #21217895 (accessed 28 January 2023), Memorial page for Sgt Arnold Pfister (1840-1911), citing Kidder Cemetery, Kidder, Caldwell County, Missouri, USA; Maintained by Caryn Hood (contributor 46777279).
4. ↑ Obituary: "Newspapers.com," database with images, The Cameron Sun, 04 Dec 1958, page 1, Newspapers Clip: 117437510 (accessed 28 January 2023)
5. ↑ Dr. Yergin to to to Washington DC: "Newspapers.com," database with images, The Thayer News, 20 Oct 1939, page 1, Newspapers Clip: 117437102 (accessed 28 January 2023)
6. ↑ Kidder News:"Newspapers.com," database with images, The Cameron Sun ,08 Sep 1949, page 2, Newspapers Clip: 117437370 (accessed 28 January 2023)

• Mary is buried at the Kidder Cemetery in Kidder, Caldwell County, Missouri, USA. Her page lists and has links to herparents, siblings, 2 spouses. There is a copy of her obit. and a picture of her headstone. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21217890/mary-kathay-pfister

• FamilySearch Person: LHB5-N26

• Year: 1880; Census Place: Liberty, Sullivan, Missouri; Roll: 738; Family History Film: 1254738; Page: 208A; Enumeration District: 202; Image: 0531

• Marriage to Arnold Pfister, Year: 1900; Census Place: Monroe, Daviess, Missouri; Roll: 852; Page: 9; Enumeration District: 0058; FHL microfilm: 1240852

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3C6-VMT : 20 January 2015), Lizzie Gillespie in household of Arnold Pfister, Monroe township, Daviess, Missouri, United States; citing sheet 9B, family 180, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,240,852.

• Year: 1910; Census Place: Kidder, Caldwell, Missouri; Roll: T624_773; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 0009; FHL microfilm: 1374786

• Marriage to Milo Erskine Yergin 19 Nov 1912, Hamilton, Caldwell. Missouri

• Year: 1930; Census Place: Harvey, Cook, Illinois; Roll: 416; Page: 24B; Enumeration District: 2050; Image: 128.0; FHL microfilm: 2340151

• Year: 1940; Census Place: Thayer, Oregon, Missouri; Roll: T627_2134; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 75-22, Marie Yergin and sister Eva Wickizer, both widowed.